Workers in warehousing, transportation and logistics often use scanner equipped mobile devices to scan barcodes, and the like, on items at various heights and orientations, depending on where the items are placed. This could vary from scanning items on the floor (e.g. on pallets), to scanning items on shelf racks or shelf tags, to scanning smaller packages that could be hand held. Mobile devices with fixed angle scanners may induce uncomfortable and potentially stressful wrist deviations, for example, ulnar deviations towards the little finger. Such stressful wrist deviations may lead to fatigue in the workers due to: an increase in physical efforts to perform a scan, reduced strength over time, reduction in reserve capacity and increased recovery time, which may depend on environment and type and volume of scanning. In addition, scanning transaction verifications may compound such stressful wrist deviations since they are generally performed by a worker tilting their arm in order to bring a display of the mobile device to a suitable viewing angle. This may be an inefficient motion and further when performed repeatedly may again potentially cause physical stress.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of implementations of the present specification.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the implementations of the present specification so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.